Luo Bangzhen is a great disciple of Zheng Manqing. Before he went to America, he specifically asked Mr. Zheng Manqing what he should pay attention to when teaching boxing in America. Mr. Zheng Manqing answered him, "Pay attention to looseness." Later, Mr. Luo Bangzhen said, "I have been practicing boxing for forty-five years, but I dare not say that it has been forty-five years." A word' loose' will make you ponder for a lifetime. " As the saying goes, "Relax, relax and learn Tai Chi. If you don't relax, learn Tai Chi first. " Pine is a passport, and pine is a stepping stone. To what extent Tai Ji Chuan develops, it will reach. If it is not loose enough, we won't know the secret of that degree.
In Tai Ji Chuan's Essays, Mr. Li Yaxuan proposed that "softness is the treasure of Tai Ji Chuan". He said: "Someone asked Mr. Yang Chengfu before: I didn't see how hard you used it. Why is it so brittle to hit people so far away? Teacher Yang replied, "I had a good time. "Someone asked Mr. Yang Shaohou, when you are energetic, you look very soft. Can this softness be strong? Mr. Shao Hou replied: "It's because it's loose and soft, and it's great to push hard." "So, Tai Ji Chuan's kung fu, both fist and pusher, must be loose.
Mr. Li Yaxuan particularly emphasized that Tai Ji Chuan should be loose, big and scattered. It is so loose that the whole body is not bound, and the arm is so loose that it hangs heavy objects like a rope, and it often feels like a heavy steering wheel bowl. The body looks as soft as a bone, but this kind of looseness is not soft, not slack, not soft as a pool of mud. On the contrary, it uses an air to encourage the body to enter the soup, which has strong and sensitive softness and elasticity. Tai Ji Chuan practiced to a really loose stage, his whole body was full of gas, and his left and right sides were full of circles. Mr Li Yaxuan is compared to an open umbrella. Put away the umbrella and relax when not in use; When in use, the umbrella cover is stretched. No hard work, no slack, all over. The whole umbrella cover is complete, every point on the umbrella cover is in the whole, and the tension is uniform.
Mr. Wu Tunan said: The secret of Tai Ji Chuan lies in "loosening eight sections and nine sections". The key to learning Tai Ji Chuan is that you can really relax eight paragraphs and nine paragraphs when practicing Tai Ji Chuan. Loose, the whole body can't be strong at first. There are nine joints in the whole body to relax. Three on the hands, three on the feet and three on the back. The three joints of the hand are the wrist, elbow and shoulder. The three levels of the foot are hip, knee and ankle. The last three are tail, neck and head. Among the nine customs, the most important thing is the hand three customs. First, let go of the three hand passes, first the wrist pass, then the elbow and shoulder pass. Shoulder closure is the most difficult to loosen. "Loose shoulder" should not press the shoulder, but should loosen the shoulder along the 45-degree slope on both sides, open the shoulder well point and fall on Yongquan point. How can I loosen my joints? The first is to relax the tendons between the joints, and then the bones. We should constantly relax the tendons between joints, because if the joints are not loose, the qi will not flow smoothly. We are used to being nervous and should constantly relax. When we are beginners, our movements are tense. We learn to know that those movements are the movements of luck with heart, transportation with qi and then movement. When the shoulder joint can be loosened, everything else is easy, and the ankle joint is the most difficult to loosen. After the tailgate is released, Qi can pass to the upper back.
Teacher Zhang Xiugang said: "To practice Tai Ji Chuan, you must have fearless heroism and fearless spirit." Because I am nervous when I am afraid, I can't relax. Therefore, self-confidence is very important, not only to fight Tai Ji Chuan, but also to do other things in life. If you can be calm, move naturally, not reluctantly, not affectedly, relax your body, take root with springs, hold your waist, and punch like sitting in a sedan chair.
Knowing whether it is "loose" is a subjective problem, and not being "loose" is an objective problem. Knowing the truth is the only way to know the body. Knowing the truth does not mean knowing the body. Knowing the body is better than knowing the truth. Therefore, we should practice Tai Ji Chuan rationally and step by step, and always ask ourselves: Are you relaxed? Is it loose?